You-tube inspired program introduced at school division

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This article was published 06/10/2010 (5628 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new pilot program in the Pembina Trails School Division has both students and teachers excited about its potential.

Division officials introduced Manitoba Ed-U-Tube at Oak Park High School in Charleswood on Sept. 21.

The division-wide project uses streaming video of teacher lessons that students can access at home as a way to supplement in-class learning.

Kyle Morris, a Grade 9 student at Acadia Junior High, considers himself a visual learner and said the new program was tailor-made for him.

“When it comes to math, it’s a difficult subject for me that I try to excel in, and being able to watch a video of a teacher actually teaching right in front of me would be very useful,” Morris said.

Classmate Kanicka Parveen said she tends to take a lot of notes in class, so having the opportunity to go back and watch the lesson and pause it if necessary is a great thing.

“Even though I’ve already learned it, it’s a really good reviewing stage if you have an exam or have anxiety and going on the computer eases that,” Parveen said.

The program — which includes lesson plans, notes for students and animation — has already been launched at some division schools with plans to increase that number later this year.  

Teachers are filmed giving short lessons, which are then uploaded to the website and are available to the students at any time.

Another unique aspect of the program is real-time tutoring. If a student notices a teacher is online they can engage them in a one-on-one dialogue.

Acadia teacher Ross Bannatyne said that organizers identified the outcomes of the Grade 9 curriculum last year, and built the teachings on Ed-U-Tube around them.

Bannatyne said it’s a great way to reach youngster who learn in different ways, especially those students who are shy too shy to ask questions in class.

“As you go along, peer pressure comes to play more of a role in the classroom and at the Grade 9 level they tend to be more reserved and hold a lot in, so as a consequence they’re reluctant to ask questions,” Bannatyne said.

The new program will give them the opportunity to understand something they didn’t get in class on their own terms, he added.

Oak Park vice-principal Lisa Boles said that many parents help their children with homework and this technology will assist them both.

“This could be a resource that a parent and a student could go on together and look at something and work through it,” Boles said.

Pembina Trails is one of just two school divisions that will offer Ed-U-Tube this year. It will also be available in the Frontier School Division.

Grade 9 student Xinyang Li, who is originally from China, said the program will help newcomers overcome the language barrier.

“For people who have just come to Canada, it’s good for helping their English because you can hear your teachers that you know in a recognizable voice,” Li said.

Don Reece, director of information technology for Pembina Trails, estimates the cost of the program at more than $700,000. However, donations from technology industry leaders and a grant from the province’s Department of Education will subsidize the cost of the program.
Reece said the program’s potential is limitless, which makes the fact that it was created here in Manitoba even more special.

“We’re just a little school division in a little town, but remember this is a virtual world and it doesn’t matter how big you are or where you are,” he said.

For more information, visit http://technology.pembinatrails.ca/.

trevor.suffield@canstarnews.com